Hospitals and the health care industry in general use great quantities of disposable implements such as needles, syringes, blades, and the like, commonly referred to as "sharps." Once used, these items present a disposal problem. The used sharps may not only be contaminated from use, but they present the added danger of potential puncture wounds. The sharps must be disposed so that they cannot be accessed without authorization or reused accidentally.
Many systems have been developed for the purpose of providing for safe disposal of sharps. Examples of such systems are generally illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,648 to to Harris et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,385 to Shillington et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,498 to Hanifl, U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,860 to Bemis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,850 to Laible et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,477 to Bruno, U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,613 to Baudry et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,429 to Patrick et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,997 to Shillington et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,312 to Vumbaca, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. These systems typically provide a container in which the sharps are disposed. They utilize various mechanisms to allow insertion of sharps and prevent access to the sharps inside the container ("insertion mechanism"). Most of these systems employ disposable containers, in which the insertion mechanism can be permanently locked, sealing the contents inside.
These systems have a disadvantage which would not be obvious to an artisan considering the issue of sharps disposal. The problem is the increased waste and expense involved in the use of disposable containers. This problem is compounded by the fact that the mechanism for locking the contents inside and the insertion mechanism are generally integral with or permanently affixed to the container, and, therefore, both must generally be dispensed with the container.
These problems can be solved by providing a system which employs a reusable container. In addition, even a reusable container could be expensive and burdensome to use. This is because either the container must be emptied, decontaminated and returned to service almost immediately upon filling to capacity, or more than one container must be rotated into use. It is difficult to imagine being able to treat and return a container to service quickly enough to obviate the need for several containers, especially considering the rate at which hospitals use sharps and the economies that can be affected by employing off-site treatment facilities. If more containers must be employed, then their cost-per-unit should be kept to a minimum. This can be accomplished by providing a system which employs simple, reusable containers and a separate, insertion mechanism which remains affixed on-site. Thus, the insertion mechanism remains in use, with a new container, when a full container is removed for treatment. For each system, only one insertion mechanism need be purchased.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved sharps disposal system which utilizes a reusable container, while providing the necessary safety features to avoid accidental punctures or contact with potentially hazardous contaminants. There is an additional need for such an improved sharps disposal system to include a permanent insertion mechanism, allowing for an efficient, cost-effective, and safe method of exchanging sharps disposal containers.